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False Scent [Mass Market Paperback]

Ngaio Marsh (Author)
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews) |

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Audible Audio Edition, Unabridged $16.95 or Free with Audible 30-day free trial

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 1999
In a poisonous cloud of spray, the curtain falls on a drama queen.

Little did beloved British actress Mary Bellamy know that she would be done in at her own birthday party-choked by toxic mist from the bottle of "Slaypest," a deadly insecticide. Basking in the glow of her most adoring fans-who all happened to be her most duplicitous enemies-Mary would make her final performance. When Superintendent Roderick Alleyn arrives, he smells a rat amongst the contemptuous collection of theatre types detained at the party, for this case has the unmistakable scent of murder...

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Editorial Reviews

Review

'Miss Marsh triumphs.' Daily Telegraph 'High-spirited, amusing .. neatly contrived from start to finish.' New Statesman 'As high-spirited and amusing as Surfeit of Lampreys.' New Statesman --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

From her first book in 1934 to her final volume just before her death in 1982, Ngaio Marsh's work has remained legendary, and is often compared to that of Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers. During her celebrated fifty-year career, Marsh was made a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America, was named Dame Commander, Order of the British Empire, won numerous prestigious awards, and penned 32 mystery novels.

Now St. Martin's Dead Letter Mysteries is thrilled to make all of Marsh's novels available again for old fans to relish and new ones to discover. So sit back, draw the curtains, lock the doors, and put yourself in the hands of Grande Dame of detective novels...
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Product Details

  • Mass Market Paperback: 224 pages
  • Publisher: St. Martin's Dead Letter; Reprint edition (April 15, 1999)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0312968981
  • ISBN-13: 978-0312968984
  • Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 4.3 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #992,674 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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More About the Author

› Visit Amazon's Ngaio Marsh Page
Ngaio Marsh
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Mary Bellamy is an aging actress, given to fits of jealousy and paranoia, who can go from charming to vindictive in less than ten seconds. So really, no one should have been too surprised when someone takes the aptly named "Slaypest" insecticide that Mary uses on her flowers, and kills her with it. Suddenly, those closest to Mary - her adopted son, devoted husband, faithful maid, old nanny, personal stylist/designer, old admirer and theatre colleagues are suspected of murder. A particularly good read if you are at all familiar with the inner-workings of the theatre and the mentality of theatre folk.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Wickedly Witty June 3, 2005
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Published in 1959, FALSE SCENT finds Ngaio Marsh setting her scene among London's theatre folk--and to wickedly witty effect. Mary Bellamy, famous for her "v" shaped smile and her way with light comedy, has long been known as one of the leading lights of the stage. Indeed, it may have been a bit too long: her temper tantrums have become as legendary as her career, and her 50th birthday provides ample showcase for them. Before the day is out she will snap, snarl, create two extremely nasty scenes--and end up dead, literally a victim of her own vanity.

Marsh is renowned for her skill at creating both memorable characters and settings, and she often gives her novels a theatrical background; it was world she knew well, and she digs her nails into every scrap of it. But Marsh's plots are not always the equal of her literary skill, and this is somewhat true of FALSE SCENT; although the novel is tremendous fun, a good many readers will spot the killer midway through the book. Still, with Marsh getting there is often the fun, and while FALSE SCENT doesn't really stand among the best of her best, it is a vastly entertaining reading. Recommended.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
great audio experience! February 27, 2002
Format:Audio Cassette
I'm a mystery lover, and a book reader in general, but had never tried audiobooks until a couple of weeks ago, when I bought this one for a road trip. What a thrill! This reader is a BRILLIANT actor... in terms of characterizations of the typically wide range of class accents in this sort of British murder mystery, as well as inflection in long spells of narrative, he is superb. I almost regret having heard his performance, as I've since been listening to a "Miss Silver" mystery from another company (and reader), and have been disappointed by a bland delivery and some distracting problems with audio levels. I'm going to check out EVERY audio book read by JAmes Saxon, though-- "False Scent" was spellbinding. I'm a convert to the format, and looking forward to my commutes with future Marsh/Saxon volumes.

Oh yes-- the book itself is wonderful, as are all Ngaio Marsh novels.

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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
WHEN SHE died it was as if all the love she had inspired in so many people suddenly blossomed. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
tinsel picture, scent spray, triangular smile, hot bottle
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Old Ninn, Colonel Warrender, Charles Templeton, Timon Gantry, Richard Dakers, Mary Bellamy, The Management, Pardoner's Place, Bertie Saracen, Pinky Cavendish, Anelida Lee, Miss Cavendish, Miss Lee, Octavius Browne, Montague Marchant, Inspector Fox, Berrie Saracen, Clara Plumtree, Monty Marchant, Br'er Fox, Madame Vestris, Miss Kate Cavendish, Old Nina, Pardoner's Row, Please God
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This book cites 13 books:
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